Straddle trailer



Nov. 17, 1959 J. M. CLUCK, JR., ETAL 2,913,132

STRADDLE TRAILER 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 26, 1958 a. M. C/Uc/z, (fr. W. /14//450` INVENTORS BY Q e, [w47 ATTORNEY Nov; 13," 1959 J. M. cLUcK, JR.; ETAL 2,913,132

STRADDLE TRAILER 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 26, 195B d. M. C/UC* Ur.

l/V. 5. /W//eJ INVENTORS BY 81W Nov. 17,` 1959 J. M. LucK, JR.. Erm. 2,913,132

STRADDLE TRAILER Filed Ilarch 26, 1958 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 VV. E. /W//es INVENToR Nov. 17, l1959 Filed March 26, 1958 M. CLUCK, JR., ETAL STRADDLE TRAILER 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Y JQ/umg? A fr0/MEV INV ENTORS nited States Pateant()`F srRADDLE TRAILER 'JhnM. chick, Jr., and william E. Miles, Lufkin, Tex.,

assignors to Lufkin Foundry & Machine Company, Lufkin, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application March 26,1958, Seriana-'724,041 y z-claims. (c l. 214-394) 'This invention relates to a special purpose 'vehicle for fthe handling and transportationrof a heavy'elongated -load such as a precast concrete beamused inl the -con- 'struction industry. Long and narrow concrete girders are cast at a fabrictaion plant vto various sizes and to pre- Astressed speciiications according to engineering require- :ments and are then hauled to location for quick installa- 'tion, and their large bulk and'heavy weight present difflcult handling problems in picking up the load and secur- Aing it in atransit position for safe and speedy transportation to a destination without imposition of Ibreakage strain .on a freshly set up casting.

It is an object of the invention to vvehicle particularly-designed to be brought into overhead 'straddle relation with ani' elongated beam and Ato elevate and hold the same-ina manner to avoid or cushion'undue :stress in a suspended position for transit. 1

provide an improved i A further objectlofthe invention is to provide a semi- I trailer wheels mounted vat the lower ends of -a load `straddling arch and arranged to run on the ground along l'both sides of the beam and to be guided in direction by a pair of rearwardly disposed wheels rotatably mounted on transversely spaced apart axes for rolling engagement by the guide wheel treads on the lateral or side yfaces of the grounded beam. l

Another object is to provide a pair of opposite end load suspension cradles arrangedto be raised and lowered by hoist mechanism and when -elevated to t at their vupper ends into locating pockets and there to Vbe latched'in place for the transfer of the load into the trailer independently of the hoist mechanism, and further to provide cushion buffers engageable Vwith thebeam load "during transit for co-operation with the cradle locating suspension means in resisting shock stress and beam displacement due to vibration, deceleration and sidesway inertia forces between the load and the trailer and'certain-of which buffers are retractable from beam contacting relation and out `of interference with the functioning 'ofthe previously mentioned guide wheels during trailer travel side elevation of a traveling crane type of'semitr'ailei embodying the structural improvements constituting the present invention; Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are a topl planview, a side elevation, and a rear elevation, respectively, 'of the rearwardand ground wheel Vsupported end of an overhead beam trailer on a larger scale and with `some .if

opposite and yground supported end portions.

j 2,913,132 Patented `Nov. 17, 1959 ice parts insection; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of a load buffer mounting as viewed on line -5-5 of Fig. 2 and is on a still larger scale than the preceding'views; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged side elevation rof the cradle suspension means shown in Fig. 3 and with parts broken away; Fig. 7 isa transverse section on line 7-7 of Fig. 6 showing the cradle in elevated transit position; Fig. 8 is a transverse section on line 8--8 of Fig. 2 of the cradle in position just below its upper limit; Fig. 9 is a detail 'perspective view of a retractable latch and cradle suspending plunger; Fig. 10 is a side elevation of an unloaded vehicle; Fig. 11 is a transverse section as on line 11-'11 of Fig. l0; and Fig. l2 is a fragmentary elevation of an adjustable stop abutment to locate the load longitudinally and to resist load inertia forward force upon vehicle deceleration. Y

As shown in the drawings,the mainbody of the trailer vehicle is an overhead crane or beam structure indicated generally by the numeral 1 in bridging relation to its Conveniently, the overhead beam is comprised of a structural steel framework inthe form of a pair of transversely lspaced longitudinal side members 2--2 connected at longitudinally spaced intervals by a number of cross mem- `bers 3-3. At its forward end the overhead beam has 'a dependent post or cylindrical upright column 4 terminating downwardly in a kingpin plate to rest on `the usual -ifth wheel of a truck tractor 5. ,Immediately forward of lthe rear end ofithe semitrailer is a supporting arch made up of one of the crossbeams 3` and a pair of widely spaced apart structural posts 6--6 (see Fig. 4) projected laterally and vertically downwardly from both side frame members 2--2 and'mounted at their lower ends on trans- 'versely aligned stub axles for journaling rock beams 7,

which carry dual wheels 8 at opposite ends.l The rear- 'ward running gear on the two sides of the vehicle have no interconnection except through the downwardly open jbeam supporting arch which affords central working clearance vsomewhat wider than the width of the load to be handled. Such clearance can be made on the order of nineteen and one-half inches for a trailer suspension beam whose over-all length is about seventy-nine and one-half feet and whose underside is about eighty-six and one-half inches above the ground surface and is intended for han- -dling a concrete beam whose approximate dimensions measure seventy feet long, tive feet high, and sixteen inches wide. A precast beam 9 usually is formed at each `end with a series of vertically spaced horizontal bolt `vided a pair of transversely spaced bearings to track on opposite sides faces of the grounded beam. In the drawings, the guide bearings are shown as a pair of rub- 'ber tired wheels 11--11 mounted for rotation. on vertical axes transversely spaced apart a distance to present the wheel treads for rolling contact on the lateral or vouter side faces of the cast beam 9. Each vertically disposed wheel stub axle is suspended from the overhead beam 1 just behind rolling contact of the ground wheels 8 with the surface of the ground and is welded at its upper end within a downwardly tapered'box section leg 12 made up of four similarly shaped flat strips welded together along corner edges. The upper end of each leg 12 is preferably pinned or bolted to a lsuspension bracket 13 carried on the underside of the main beam 1-.

For coupling a load beam to a trailer suspension beam, there are a pair of longitudinally spaced apart cradies along with manual or power operated hoist mechanism and a cradle latching device located at the two extremities of the overlapping beams. Each cradle 14 is of an kinverted U-shape to tit astride the beam to be loaded and conveniently is assembled of welded together plates of precut shapes. Figs. 6, 7, and 8 illustrate the cradle detail and indicate that each dependent leg includes an inward plate 1S stitfened by a pair of outwardly projected side plates or wings 16 Vwelded at their inner edges to .the side edges of the plate 15. A bridging web 17 is welded along its side edges to the inside faces of the side wings l16 to complete a box section. At the lower ends `of the side legs are holes aligned with one another and for alignment with a selected bolt fastening hole 1 0 in the cast beam and a suspension bolt 18 is for removable passage through the aligned holes for coupling purposes. The upper ends of the plates 15 and 1 6 have their inner vertical edges welded to a vertical web 19 and a connecting strap 20 bridges the space between and is welded at opposite ends to both webs 19 and along both sides to vertical stilener flanges 21. A horizontal bridging plate 22 is welded to the inner faces of the upper ends ofthe Istilening anges 21 and gives a box section to the top crosspiece of the cradle.

Bolted to theupper webs 20 of the cradle are a pair of `clevises on the lower ends of hoist cables 23 which pass over sheaves 24 and, as seen in Fig. 2, are joined at their other ends to an equalizer bar 24 centrally journaled to the connecting rod of a slidable piston con.- tained within a pressureV fluid motor cylinder 25 anchored `on top of the overhead beam 1. Conventional control valving in a pressure uid supply system alternately vents and directs lpressure fluid to the ends of both piston rnctor cylinders for the operations of raising and lowering the two cradles in unison. Each sheave 24 is rotatable on a transverse horizontal shaft mounted in blocks 26 which are bolted to adjacent framing members of the overhead beam.

Each set of hoisting cables 23 passes vertically below the sheaves 24 through a downwardly opening socket of va width and length to closely pocket the upper portions or top bar of the cradle 14 in its elevated limit or load .carrying transit position. This cradle receiving and locating socket is aiorded by two transversely spaced groups of three vertically disposed straps welded on the underside of adjacent framing members for nested cooperation with the upper corners of the cradle. Each group of straps includes one strap 27 extending in a vertical plane longitudinally of the vehicle to fit an adjacent upper edge of the hoist cradle and a pair of straps 28 arranged in transversely extending vertical planes to lit the fore and aft side faces at the upper end of the cradle. Each vertical cradle fitting strap terminates at its lower end in a downwardly and outwardly flared lip for co-operation with the cradle in guiding its upward travel in the locating pocket.

At the upper corners of the cradle side wings 1 6 there are secured hollow tubes or bearings 29 for longitudinal alignment with openings through the fore and aft locating straps 28 when the cradle is elevated to transit position, as seen Vin Figs. 6 and 7. Each set of aligned holes and tubes constitutes a keeper formation for removable reception of a projectable latch pin or plunger 30 for securely suspending the cradle at both sides of the trailer beam and relieving the hoist mechanism of the transit load. At its leading end the plunger rod 30, as `best seen in Fig. 9, has a conical or tapered end to facilitate entry projection and at its opposite end has secured thereto a laterally projected` operating handle 31. Projected longitudinally from and horizontally aligned with the bottom of the plunger receiving openings in the straps 2,8 is a shaft or plunger slideway 3 2 afforded by a horizontally disposed tlange of an angle bracket secured to the bottom frame structure. A Z- lsection slip 33 is carried by and co-operates in superposed relation with the angle bracket 32 for slidable retention of the plunger when the latter is retracted from load transfer position shown in Fig. 6. A stop abutment, as at 34, at the end of the slide bearing bracket 32 may be provided to resist loss of a retracted plunger 30, and additionally the guideway may be provided with a slot positioned to receive the actuating handle 31 when the plunger is projected to load carrying position and the handle is rotated into its slot. The gravity weight of .the handle and Vthe -frictional load on the plunger pin keep the dependent handle within the `slot and against retraction from its fully projected position.

On the underside ,of the overhead beam and directly above the web plate 22 at the top of each cradle 14 there is conveniently bolted a yieldable elastic bumper preferably comprised of a rubber buier pad 35 whose bottom face is for contact as a stop abutment with the web 22 -when the cradleis raised to its upper limit. The mounting Qt the belier pads 3.5 positions them for face to face Contact with, the cradles as the latter approach and .Slightly .in advance .0f reaching final upward load Suspen- Sion position, .So that the .elastic material .0f the pads is placed lunder a compressive strain by the hoisting mechamsm, Accordingly, when the plungers are projected into suspension relation with the elevated cradles and the hoist mechanism'goes out of action, the buffer pads 3 5 by their elasticity serve effectively to cushion shock and v to take up vertical slack clearance as might otherwise occur at the cradle bearings.

Sirljlar butter pads 36 are arranged to contact opposite side or lateral surfaces of the elevated cast beam for centering the same and for cushioning side sway forces `during transit. These pads 36 are adjustably mounted for lateral movement toward and away from beam engagement and when the pads on both sides are retracted a wide operating clearance is aiforded for lowering and raising the beam load and for vmanipulation of the vehicle telescopically of the grounded load under the tracking influence o f the guide wheels 11, either -to bring the overhead crane beam 1 into position to pick up a load or to pull away from a deposited load. The adjustable buffer mount, as shown in Fig. 5, includes a dependent bracket plate 37 secured to the overhead suspension beam and a swinging arm 38 pivoted to the bottom of the plate 37 by va trunnion pin 39 and faced at its free end by the rubber butter pad 36. A removable lock pin 4 0 ca n be inserted through valigned openings in the arm 38 and the mounting bracket 37 in spaced relation to the pivot pin 3 9 for retaining the swinging arm in inwardly projected and butter compressed seating contact relation with an elevated beam load. Removal of the latch pin 40 enables the to be `swung downwardly and outwardly away vfrom the beam receiving loading area.

When several longitudinally spaced pairs of transverse cushioning pads 36 are employed, as, for example, a central pair and two end pairs as 'shown in the drawings, difficulty may sometimes be experienced in setting one or more of the intermediate pads in inward beam engaging relationship inasmuch as pretensioned beams occasionally bow out of Ia straight line when permitted to stand free. With 'that in mind, there may be provided, as shown in vdetail in Fig. ll, a pair of oppositely facing adjustable jacks for applying pressure against the side face of a bowed beam to bring it back into an approximately straight line relationship. Each jack comprises a screw threaded shaft 41 supported in a transverse horizontal position within an internally threaded head at the lower end of a dependent frame bracket 42. At its outer end the adjustable jack shaft carries an operating handle 43 and at its inner end it has a swiveled bearing head 44 for engagement with the side face of a beam 9. Usually one 4such jack carried by each side frame member 2 at a longitudinally intermediate location will be suicient for etraightening a bowed beam after it Vis hoisted to transit position and for the purposeof Yenabling-all pads-36 to beset inoperative position'srf AIn order to relieve the suspension devices from severe forward thrust forces from beam load inertia onY vehicle speed deceleration, mit, will be desirabletoprovide lon the trailer frame a ,stop or locatingY abutment for-'the front face of the loaded beam. Suchabutment isshown in Fig. 1 and in more detail in Fig. -12 and includes, a dependent frame bracket 45 in whose lower end is adjustably mounted a horizontally longitudinally extending screw shaft 46 terminating forwardly in an operating handle 47 for turning the shaft and terminating rearwardly in a swivel abutment head 48 for engagement with the forward face of the loaded beam 9. In its inactive position the jack shaft 46 will be threaded toward the front of the vehicle to a forward limit but once the vehicle is loaded and ready for transit, the operation of the' .bearing the handle 47 will cause the screw jack to carry rearv wardly the abutment head 48 into tight seating relation with the front face of the beam and thereafter the beam will thrust forwardly against the frame bracket and relieve the suspension members from undue strain when vehicle speed is decreased.

In Fig. ll there is shown beneath the central part of the frame a resilient buffer or bumper spring for engagement with the top side of the load. The elastic force of the spring will compensate for clearance looseness between the beam and its suspension cradles and between the cradles and the trailer frame and additionally will damp dynamically induced vertical vibrations of the trailer frame during transit while loaded. In the form shown, the resilient bumper is a semielliptical multiple leaf spring 49 projected transversely across the two side frame members 2-2 and pivotally shackled at one end to one of the frame members and slidably shackled at the other end to the other frame member. Intermediate its ends the central part of the spring carries a downwardly facing bearing pad 50 for engagement with the top side of the loaded `beam 9. When no load is being carried, the spring 49 will extend downwardly with more of a bow than is shown in Fig. l1. It will be engaged by the top face of a concrete beam when the latter is raised toward its upper transit position and will be deflected under considerable load whereby the stored elastic energy acts on the beam and the two frame members for cushioning shock and minimizing relative vibration.

Road vibrations, racking or weaving and relative oscillation of the spaced apart frame members 2--2 can in the absence of effective corrective expedients be rnuch more pronounced than in the ordinary road vehicle because of the extreme length of the trailer frame. The use of a pair of end suspension cradles serves to transfer the load through a short longitudinal frame distance to the wheels into the ground so that the intermediate portio'nl of the frame is largely relieved from the weight of the load itself yand can be ybuilt up of lighter structural members than ordinarily would be anticipated, providing road shocks can be effectively minimized, as by means of the transverse spring 49 previously described. During vehicle travel with a loaded beam, the beam itself stiffens the frame against weaving and bending action and for the purpose of reducing excessive frame deection when traveling unladen, it is proposed, as shown in Fig. l0, to

employ a detachably connected tensionable cable 51 extending longitudinally beneath and throughout almost the entire length of the trailer frame 1. As illustrated, the rear end of the cable is detachably connected to the framework near the ground at the rearward running gear and the front end of the cable is detachably connected near the fifth wheel, as, for example, at the rear end of the jack shaft 46 and whose adjustment can be utilized to tension the cable S1 for applying a compression stress on the frame and for thereby stilfening the assembly.

In operation, the trailer vehicle is wheeled into end to end alignment with a cast beam resting on the ground and then the trailer is backed over theload and is guided by the vertical axle guide wheels ,11 until the load is com-- pletely overlaid by the suspension beam withthe dependent cradles in approximate yalignment with the mount-k ing openings 10 at each end of theload, When thecradle and load connections havefbeeneifected, the -loadV is hoisted above the ground and the exible suspension cables hung from the 'sheaves24 bring ythe cradle tops into their receiving pockets and compress the downwardly facing buifers 35. The liftl cradles atbvoth endsgarle then pinned to the main structurefo"tansportation and the hoisting mechanism is left inoperative until such time as the load is to be lowered. The release of hydraulic pressure and `the compression of the rubber bumper blockas well as the load itself, eliminate slack between the plunger 30 and its bearings. The side buffers 36, which have been hanging outwardly away from or in clearance relation with the load, are now projected toward one another and into elastic centering relation with the sides ofthe beam load and are latched, as shown in Fig. 5, and thereupon offer cushioning resistance to side sway and inertia forces during transit.

When the transported load is to be deposited, the side buffers 35 are again retracted and the hoist mechanism is operated to take over and slightly raise the load to relieve the plunger pins 30 so that they can be retracted easily and then the cradles are lowered until the beam rests on solid ground, whereupon the beam Iand cradle connections 18 are removed. The flexibility of the hanging cradle suspending cables minimizes strain or binding when the trailer is pulled forward away from the grounded beam and during which time the guide wheels 11 keep the trailer in centered relation with the grounded load.

While the drawings show each Aload supporting cradle 14 as a rigid inverted U-shaped frame, it will be feasible to have one or both of the dependent legs adjustably mounted or hinged on the upper crossbar for varying the load receiving space between the legs. Among other things, the use of relatively movable cradle components will accommodate beams of varying widths and additionally will enable the removable coupling pin shown Iat 18 to be replaced with xed stub pins for projection into the oppo-site ends of the beam openings 10 in effec-ting the load carrying relation. In like manner the dependent guide wheels 11-11 may be mounted to enable their rela- Y tive transverse adjustment to desired fixed settings.

Although the description has been limited to the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that various modifications can be made as come within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is: Y

1. In a load carrying vehicle having an elongated overhead beam to overlie an elongated load suspended by the beam in parallel relation one to another, hoist mechanism on the beam for raising Iand lowering the load to and from transit relation and including a pair of loadv carrying cradles, one adjacent each end of the elongated beam, a detachable coupling between each cradle and said -beam to suspend the cradle in its raised transit position independently of said hoist mechanism, transversely spaced apart brackets dependently suspended from thebeam, a swinging arm pivoted by each bracket on an axis extending longitudinally of said `=beam, a load engaging bearing face on one end of said arm for movement with the arm between transversely spaced positions inwardly and outwardly of said pivot axis and means detachably coupling the arm against outward swinging travel and locating its bearing face inwardly positioned for co-operation with other similarly positioned bearing faces to engage opposite side faces of the suspended load and thereby resist load lateral movement relative to the overhead beam.

2. In a vehicle of the class described,I an elongated load suspending beam structure, running gear supporting devices at opposite ends of said beam structure, load suspending means carried by said overhead beam structure 2,388,870 Sackett Nov. 13, 1945*A adjacent its opposite running gear supported ends and a 2,452,937 A Krake Nov. 2, 1948 tensionable -tie connection adapted for detachable connec- 2,472,843 Muse June 14,v 1949 tion with' opposite end portions of said beam structure in 2,478,513 Disco Aug. 9, 1949 vertically spaced relation with the horizontal plane of the 5 2,583,075 Anderson et al Jan.Y 22, 19,52 beam at such times as the beam is unladen. 2,669,013v Wilson f Feb. 16|, 1954 2,693,288 Black Nov. 2, 1954 References Cited in the file of this patent 2,798,525 Mamo July 9, 1957 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,951,088 Feeieyeaal Mar.13,1934 1 

